


Tell Me Everything

by sebastian2017



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Dreams, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic, Magic Reveal, Pining, Potions, could probably be read as both merthur and as them just having a very strong friendship, in his dreams when Arthur has his guard down hes like a schoolboy with a crush, non-established relationship, silly boys in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 06:25:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9422405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebastian2017/pseuds/sebastian2017
Summary: Fill for a prompt/request:In preparation for telling Arthur about his magic, Merlin unites their dreams and tells him there, to test his reaction. Unfortunately, Merlin forgets that dreams aren't always what they seem.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [deliciousirony](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deliciousirony/gifts).



> This was so much fun to write! I tweaked bits and pieces of the prompt but kept the general idea of it. Hope you still enjoy it, deliciousirony! There's no explicit Merthur, but it's hinted that that's how their relationship will progress after the end. However, it can be read however the reader prefers :) 
> 
> A quick note on accessibility: I thought a lot about how to clearly distinguish the dream versus reality. It's a pretty big chunk of the fic and personally, I struggle a bit keeping track of things when they're not explicitly stated and go on for a while. I wound up leaving that bit in italics, though I do worry it might alienate some readers that'll struggle through such a large block of text in italics.  
> So if that's you, feel free to contact me and I can get you the fic entirely in normal text.

The way Merlin sees it, he has two full-time jobs. There is, of course, his work as Arthur’s manservant, but even more time occupying and certainly more exhausting, there’s the matter of keeping his magic a secret. Undeniably more important than his job tending to Arthur, yet even with the nearly nonexistent gratitude for everything he does for Arthur, it somehow manages to be the more thankless job of the two. At least there aren’t other people’s lives constantly depending on his job as a manservant. And at least when he’s working for Arthur, he doesn’t have Gaius constantly looking over his shoulder and calling out every minor incident - most of which Merlin can’t even help and would rather live without. 

 

Gaius just has his best interests in mind. Merlin knows that, of course. It just gets so unbelievably frustrating most of the time. Merlin also knows that Gaius would never in a million years approve of Merlin trying to find ways to tell Arthur about his magic. However, as he had proved time and time again, Merlin isn’t always so fond of listening to Gaius’ advice. He holds Gaius’ opinion in high regard, but sometimes Merlin just has to take matters into his own hands. No one knows his situation with Arthur better than himself. (Well, except for maybe Kilgharrah, but Merlin tries not to count him.) 

 

So Merlin does what seems best to him. He goes scouring through his books in search of something that will facilitate this for them both. He doesn't want to drug Arthur into a falsely positive response, but there has to be something to lower the risks. A few hours later, Merlin emerges from his bedroom successful. He’s found a potion that will help him execute the perfect plan. The only problem is… 

 

“Um, Gaius… Did you ever deliver that pain-relieving draught to Arthur?” As most of the times when Merlin tries to sound more confident than he feels (and like he’s most certainly, definitely not up to something), it’s not a very successful endeavor.

 

Lucky for Merlin, Gaius has long since decided that he’s too old to attempt damage control for every little thing Merlin does. “No, I have not. Why do you ask?”

 

“Oh good! I mean, well, not good, I meant convenient. Because… I can go take it to him! And it’s one less trip for us to make. It’s good, isn’t it? I can take it now, if you want. Right now,” 

Merlin offers, trying not to look too eager as he glances over Gaius’ work desk. He’d found a perfect enchantment for what he hopes to accomplish to prepare Arthur for the news, but it required a simple concoction made up of some rather foul-tasting ingredients. Ingredients that wouldn’t go unnoticed if Merlin tried to mix them into Arthur’s wine or ale, perhaps, but would likely remain inconspicuous mixed into the draught Gaius had prescribed for Arthur’s latest jousting related injury (already quite foul-tasting on its own.)

 

Now Gaius is positive Merlin is up to no good, but he hands the small bottle over regardless. “If only you were always this eager to assist me.”

 

Merlin opts not to acknowledge the comment as he dashes out of the workshop. “Thanks, Gaius! I’ll see you for supper!”

\-------

It’s not a complicated list of ingredients Merlin has to gather. The trickiest one to get is a lock of hair off Arthur’s pillow, but even that is simple enough to get while he’s making Arthur’s bed in the morning. By the time Merlin has gathered all his ingredients and gotten together the brew, it’s nearly nightfall, which conveniently, is just when Arthur needs to take it for optimal effects. Merlin sneaks it in with Arthur’s pain draught and retreats to his room, where he takes the second half of the draught. It’s more complicated potion making than Merlin’s ever ventured into before, but Merlin has a good feeling about it. It’d be a shame if a plan he’s so proud of wound up not working because of faulty brew making.

 

By splitting the potion between the two of them, they’ll be sharing the same dream, and as the one in the dream with magic, Merlin will be aware of the dream. He could alter it as he pleased if he wanted to, but he wants to use this as a chance to gauge Arthur’s reaction to his powers. He’s vowed to himself not to do anything but bring up the subject of his magic. He’d let Arthur’s mind handle the rest of the dream. As he’s falling asleep, Merlin can feel the familiar tug of magic at the edges of his mind and he drifts off with the confidence that his plan is off to a good start.

 

\-----

  
  


_ Much like an actual dream, Merlin isn’t actually sure when it starts. He lulls into it and by the time Merlin realizes it’s happening, he and Arthur seem to be in the middle of their day. Arthur is busy practicing his swords, while Merlin stands off to the side with spare equipment ready.  _

 

_ Merlin actually has to take a moment to marvel at how mundane Arthur’s dreams are. He would probably forget he’s in a dream were it not for the gentle fog that seems to crowd his head and the edges of his vision. Being conscious of a dream, Merlin notes, is a bit like dousing his mind in molasses. Everything is a tad bit slower here in this dream world, more so because he’s conscious of their state and, in a way, trying to fight it. He wonders briefly how he’ll lead this scenario into one that could help him reveal his secrets to Arthur, but the moment he just lets go and lets the dream take its course, everything suddenly becomes much simpler. _

 

_ Annoyingly, this appears to be one of the many moments where their fate, and not Merlin, holds control. _

 

_ Merlin leans against an equipment stand and watches Arthur for a while. The man in question is currently busy pulling off one impressive swords move after another. This being his dream, Merlin is sure Arthur must be picturing himself rather grandly. In fact, there’s many ways it’s painfully obvious this is Arthur’s dream. Most unsettlingly, whenever Merlin glances at something out of Arthur’s line of sight, his surroundings become blurred out, like he’s seeing the world through a dense fog. It makes sense. Why would Arthur’s mind bother with the upkeep of a part of the world he’s not seeing when, under any other circumstance, this dream world revolved around the young prince? Merlin has his back turned to Arthur, admiring the discrepancies, when his presence was finally acknowledged. _

 

_ “Merlin! You complete idiot, you’re not watching!” Arthur snaps, stilling his sword while Gawain paused for water.  _

 

_ Merlin turns and expects to find Arthur being overly dramatic while changing his equipment on his own or having a drink of water (all things Arthur apparently can’t do on his own without being a whiny crybaby.) Instead, Merlin just finds Arthur standing there and pouting like a petulant child. Merlin tries to look over Arthur and find some reason for him to be up so upset, but he comes up with nothing. He gives Arthur a look that any other royal would smack him over for disrespect. “What are you whining about now, Arthur? Your equipment doesn’t need changing, you’re not on a water break, your armor is fine. What else do you need?” _

 

_ “Nothing. It’s just you need to be paying attention. That’s half the point of you being down here! So you can watch me.” Arthur insists. _

 

_ Merlin blinks once. Twice. Still, he’s not sure what to reply to that. He has to remind himself that this is Arthur’s dream and of course he would act a little different; he has no one to behave for but himself. He also has to remind himself not to look too far into it and not start wondering if perhaps this is what Arthur always thinks about when they’re out. “Well…” He’s not even sure what to say. “I’ll be sure not to look away again.” _

 

_ Arthur nods and grumbles, “Better not.” _

 

_ He goes back off to his training and Merlin is left wondering if it’s possible that Arthur is even more of an attention-whore in his dreams. It’s something Merlin didn’t think possible, but that he definitely shouldn’t discard. Arthur glances back at him every so often, to make sure he’s watching. Every time he does, Merlin gives him a bit of a wave to reassure him. He’s used to Arthur loving every bit of attention he can get, but he’s certainly not used to the shy, hopeful look Arthur has on his face every time he checks for Merlin. He’d never admit this outside of a dream, but it makes the annoying habit almost adorable.  _

 

_ Merlin eventually sits down and settles in for a while of watching Arthur. It’s obvious in Arthur’s dreams, Merlin isn’t there to serve him, but as a doting audience. It’s certainly an easier task, only it’s much too easy to get caught up in it and forget that he’s here with a purpose. As it is, he’s not entirely sure how he’s going to breach the subject.  After a few minutes of pondering, he figures that, well, he saves Arthur’s behind with magic on an almost daily basis. He’ll just go about as usual in this dream and if (hopefully when) the chance arises, he’ll simply make no effort to hide his talents. _

 

_ Sure enough, Merlin only has to sit and watch for just under two hours before Arthur’s gotten himself into a situation he needs help getting out of. With the type of cockiness only Arthur can manage, the young prince had decided that it would be a good idea to take on the two youngest candidates for knighthood and take them on blindfolded. The spiel he’d given the knights said something about courage and knowing your body and sword so well you can control them off muscle memory. The glance he’d tossed Merlin’s way had said much more about it simply being an excuse to showboat some more. Merlin is used to watching Arthur try his hand at almost certainly horrible ideas but usually he has the sense to do it with his older knights. In his dreams, it seems Arthur has forgotten just how dangerous an untrained hand can be with a sword, even a dulled one. _

 

_ One of the boys loses his footing as Arthur slams his shoulder plate against his torso and as he falls back, his grip on his sword slips, careening the thing towards the back of Arthur’s head. It’s dulled, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t leave Arthur unconscious and with a nasty recovery period. (As much as one can have a recovery period during a dream, at least.) It’s as good a chance as any and before he can fully rationalize it in his head, Merlin’s hand is already raised and suspending the sword in midair, away from Arthur. The prince is still blindfolded, but that matters very little. Two nearby guards have already rushed forward to restrain Merlin and a chorus of shocked gasps goes throughout the crowd. Merlin lets the sword fall to the ground with a clatter. _

_ Arthur tears the blindfold off. It only takes him a moment to lay eyes on Merlin, forced down to his knees and held in place by a pair of guards. “What’s the meaning of this?” he barks, dropping his sword and stalking over. _

 

_ “He has magic, sire!” the guard exclaims. This is met with several nods of agreement from the crowd that’s began to surround them. _

 

_ Arthur’s face lights up in rage and he wrestles the sword away from the nearest bystander. Merlin’s heart sinks as he expects it to run him through any second, but instead, it’s pointed at the guard. “How dare you lie to your prince? I should have you hung for that! Merlin isn’t a sorcerer. He can’t be!” _

 

_ “But, sire-” _

 

_ Merlin doesn’t let them continue. He’s still being held down on his knees, but he looks up at Arthur as earnestly as he can manage. “They’re not lying, Arthur. It’s true. I… I have magic.” _

 

_ Now Merlin does expect Arthur to run him through. He hates himself for having ever thought of this stupid plan. What was so wrong with just… living in hiding for the rest of his life? Only,  _

_ Arthur goes and surprises Merlin again. He doesn’t try to kill him where he stands. It’s like the fire has been put out of him. Instead, Arthur’s shoulders sag and the sword falls out of his hand once more. He turns away, like he can’t even stand to look at Merlin, and wordlessly gestures for the guards to take him away. As Arthur stumbles away and Merlin is forced towards the dungeons, Merlin can just barely make out Arthur’s hands trembling as he shakes his head over and over.  _

 

_ The world sort of fades away after that and when it comes back, Merlin is being held in one of the dungeon cells. He can tell quite some time has passed. When he spots Arthur walking towards the cell, the young prince looks terribly exhausted. Merlin can practically see the day’s events weighing him down. He feels guilty now, for causing all of this, and he can’t wait for this dream to just be over. He wishes he had never done any of this in the first place. _

 

_ Arthur hesitates when he’s a few steps away from the cell. He just stares at Merlin for a few moments before relenting and stepping closer to him once more. “Is… is it really true, Merlin? It can’t be. You can’t be a sorcerer. You’re… you’re an idiot! You can’t possibly be a sorcerer.” _

 

_ Merlin can’t lie. Not this far in and not when he’s already planning on waking up in the morning and forgetting “I was born with this, Arthur. Magic is… it’s an innate talent. But… I only ever use it for you, Arthur. I swear it. Only for you.” _

 

_ “…really? Only for me?” Arthur doesn’t wait for an answer before shaking his head. “No. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter who you use it for! Magic is outlawed. It’s evil. You’re… You’re not evil, Merlin.” _

 

_ “People are evil, Arthur. Not magic,” Merlin insists weakly. _

 

_ Arthur steps forward as close as he can, reaching in through the bars to lay a hand on Merlin’s shoulder. “Please… Merlin, I’m not the sort of man to beg, but please. Just say it’s not true. I’ll fight with my father on it. Say he has no proof. Just say it’s not true. That’s all I need from you, Merlin.” _

 

_ “I can’t say that, Arthur. Because it’s not true. It was me, and I do have magic. That’s not a bad thing, Arthur. Can’t you see that?” Merlin asks. _

 

_ “I can’t see that, Merlin. I just can’t… I’m sorry, but this… This is it for us,” Arthur mumbles. He meets Merlin’s eyes for just a moment and Merlin is surprised to see that there’s a true tinge of regret in Arthur’s eyes. Merlin doesn’t have very long to appreciate it, though, before Arthur has turned and walked away. Merlin watches Arthur’s back as he walks away, until once again, the world just fades away around Merlin.  _

 

_ Merlin is hoping and praying that this is it. That he’s done with this and he’ll wake up in his own bed, safe once more to continue living a secret. It’s safer that way. He can see that now. Unfortunately, that would be too easy it seems. Instead, as the world fades back into view around Merlin, he’s tied up in the middle of the square, moments away from being executed. Mercifully, this doesn’t last long. _

 

_ There’s plenty of faces he recognizes among the crowd, practically everyone he and Arthur know in common. But at the moment, Merlin’s only focused on one. Arthur. More than just his boss. His best friend, his destiny. And right now, Arthur’s gaze is firmly set on the ground in front of him. Perhaps it’s the sun in his eyes, but Merlin can just barely make out red and swelling around Arthur’s eyes. Just as flames start around Merlin, Arthur looks up and their eyes meet. This isn’t how Merlin wanted this to go. Not at all. He’d entered this situation full of hope and instead, Merlin is wondering just how hard it would be to live the rest of his life in secret. Merlin is so hoping Arthur will do something other than stare, but he just keeps staring and the flames keep rising higher towards him and – and -and -  _

  
  
  


\-----

  
  


Merlin wakes with a jolt. It’s morning now and the night has left him drenched in cold sweat. How could it not? He’d just had to live through his best friend, his destiny, the most important man in his life turning his back on him and letting him die. He feels like an idiot now. He cared for Arthur deeply, of course, but maybe he had been a fool to assume that Arthur cared for him too. Obviously, he didn’t; not if he cared more about upholding his father’s laws than saving his friend’s life.

 

He doesn’t want to get up and go to work. How could he? Work means going to Arthur and it hurts to even think of Arthur know that he knows how things would play out if Arthur knew the truth. He doesn’t have a choice, though. He’s quiet all through breakfast and apparently exuding enough of a terrible mood that even Gaius doesn’t try to ask what’s wrong. Merlin drags his feet all the way to Arthur’s room. He goes as slow as he can, but there’s only so long he can prolong this. When he lets himself into Arthur’s room, he expects to find the prince fast asleep. Or perhaps lounging around in his sleepwear and complaining that Merlin has taken too long to arrive.

 

The last thing he expects is to find him trembling and with his face red and splotchy from crying.

 

“Merlin! You have no idea how good it is to see you.” Arthur sprung from bed and hurried to Merlin, placing two firm hands on the man’s shoulders. “I had the worst dream. Awful like you wouldn’t imagine.”

 

Merlin thinks he might get sick from the effort of pretending to not know what Arthur’s talking about. Even worse to pretend he agrees that, yes, it truly is the most awful thing to think that Merlin might have magic, the way Arthur sees it. He makes a weak attempt at joking. “Maybe you should have awful dreams more often. I certainly prefer this greeting to getting pillows tossed at my head.”

 

His jesting falls flat. Arthur is in no mood for it. “You don’t understand, Merlin. You don’t…” Arthur sits down heavily at the edge of his bed. His shoulders are slumped and for a moment, Merlin fears he might start crying again. “You were a sorcerer in my dream. I wanted so badly for it to be a lie, but you insisted. And I thought… I thought that was the worst thing I could ever imagine. Then Father sentenced you to death and… That really was the worst thing.”

 

“You…” Merlin hesitates. This is different than what he’d thought. “You’re upset because I died in your dream? Even though I was a sorcerer?”

 

Arthur nods. “I was shocked to feel it too. In my dream, you said something. Something that… You mustn’t tell anyone, especially not my Father, but that I found myself agreeing with. You’d just been found out and you told me, you told me that magic isn’t evil, but people are. It’s true, I think. I don’t know. I don’t know entirely what I think, but I know that I wouldn’t want to lose you over anything.”

 

Against his better judgement, Merlin allows himself to start hoping. Maybe things aren’t hopeless between him and Arthur. Maybe Merlin hadn’t been the only one feeling helpless in the dream. He crouches down in front of Arthur’s bed and reaches forward to take the prince’s hand. Arthur looked down at their hands together and without so much as a moment’s hesitation, he threaded their fingers together and squeezed gently as he could. It wasn’t much, but to Merlin it felt like hope. Like a promise of something in their future. The future they would share together. This isn’t a dream. There’ll be no waking up at the end if things go horribly wrong, but Arthur is his destiny and Merlin can’t hide from that any longer.

 

“Arthur… Your dream… It wasn’t wrong,” Merlin starts.

 

Arthur frowns, but doesn’t try to pull back his hand. Instead, he actually inches closer to Merlin. “Wasn’t wrong? What do you mean?”

 

Merlin can’t find the words to say it, so instead he shows it. He holds his other hand up towards Arthur and with a flash of gold in his eyes, there is suddenly a flower resting on his palm. He keeps his hand extended towards Arthur in offering. He should say something, but he can’t find the words in him. He’s laying his life in Arthur’s hands now. He’s surprising even himself with how calm he feels. Up until now, Merlin had only ever felt terribly fear and anxiety over being honest with Arthur. But the deed is done now and he trusts Arthur with his whole being.

 

Arthur doesn’t disappoint. There’s guards posted just outside his room at all moment. He could easily call them in and have Merlin taken away. Instead, he reaches for the flower and takes it in his hands. He’s quiet as he admires it and he only speaks when he looks up and catches 

 

Merlin’s eyes again. “You have magic. Like in my dream, you have magic.”

 

“For you, Arthur. We’re destiny, you and I. My magic has only ever existed to serve you, Arthur,” Merlin swears. He straightens his back and meets Arthur’s gaze to stare back at him. He has to be confident now. If for no other reason because it’s true. He exists for Arthur and Arthur exists for him. He only hopes Arthur can see it too.

 

Arthur puts the flower aside and takes Merlin’s hands in his. There’s a tinge of fear in him, over everything Merlin could do to him, but it’s outshined by the hope and wonder in Arthur. This is new, but Merlin is the best man in his life. He can do new for Merlin. He can do anything for Merlin.

 

“Tell me, Merlin. Tell me everything.”  

 

**Author's Note:**

> There it is! I usually don't like my endings, but I enjoyed this one. I liked leaving it open for the many possibilities these two have in their future now. I hope it's enjoyed on the reader side as well!
> 
> This was my first Merthur fic and it was a blast to write. Hopefully I'll be back with some more in the future :)


End file.
